This invention relates to an agricultural implement that is towed and powered by a tractor and more particularly to improved means for supporting the free end of a PTO hookup assembly on the implement when the hookup assembly is disconnected from the tractor.
As is well known, agricultural machines, that are towed by a tractor and powered from the tractor power take-off, conventionally include a main fore and aft drive shaft that is connected to the tractor PTO output shaft by a PTO hookup assembly having a pair of universal joints respectively adjacent the forward and rearward ends of the hookup assembly, the yoke of the forward universal joint conventionally including an internally splined member that is mateable with the externally splined tractor PTO shaft. However, since the hookup assembly does include a pair of universal joints and is normally not supported on the implement except by its connection through the rear universal joint to the implement drive shaft, when the implement is separated from the tractor, the forward free end of the hookup assembly is free to dangle. This, of course, creates a potential for damaging the hookup assembly and permits the forward universal joint to be exposed to the mud and the elements.
To overcome such a situation, it is known to provide retainers for the forward ends of the hookup assemblies, two such retainers being disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,885,015 and 3,014,545. However, with the increasing size of farm implements and the corresponding increase in the size of the drive line components to transmit the increased power consumed by such larger machines, there has been a need for an improved support of the above general type.